Carole and Barry Hamblin in their lavender field. Pic: Weston Mercury

DETAILS OF TALKS BY BARRY HAMBLIN

After 25 years flying in the RAF as a navigator I found myself running a training company for airline pilots for 25 years after doing a favour for a friend.

My wife has a lavender business (I am the tractor driver) and when she opened a shop which was too large for her sole use I closed my training company and took the spare half of the shop to indulge my passion for selling antiques. My wife and I give talks on the history of lavender, growing lavender and how it is used (see Lavender and Co) and this, together with being a trustee of our small but beautiful local museum and a love of antiques and history, has resulted in me giving number of talks on a variety of historical subjects.

The RAF trained me to instruct and I just love presenting the subjects I care so much about.

Time Gentlemen Please – The history of the measurement of time. 

Remember, Remember – The story of the gunpowder plot.

Dispelling the Myths of Climate Change – There is a great deal more to climate change than carbon dioxide.

In search of Terra Incognita – The life and voyages of Captain James Cook.

N.B.  I have found that this talk is a lot of information in one session and takes well over an hour.   I can do this as one talk but recommend that it is broken down into two talks:

From the Farm to the Fleet – How James Cook, the son of a farm labourer, became the most respected navigator and map maker in the Royal Navy in the 18th century.

In search of Terra Incognita – The three voyages of James Cook and how he mapped the unknown third of the world’s surface.

Lavender, the Forgotten Herb – The history of lavender in this country, how it is grown, the different varieties, its properties and uses. We make a number of lavender based products and we can bring examples which we can show you and which, if you wish, can be purchased after the talk.

In preparation: Bristol Airport: Past, Present and Future – I think the title says it all !

My fee is £50 per talk plus mileage (25p/mile) if outside Somerset.
Telephone: Landline 01934 733939, Baz mobile 07979 994126, Carole mobile 07818 665729.
Email: bazhamblin2@gmail.com and cphamblin@googlemail.com